State officials and advocates packed into a Philadelphia hair salon on Tuesday to witness Gov. Josh Shapiro sign the Crown Act, a new law that bans discrimination based on a person’s hair texture and style.
Pennsylvania joins 27 other states — including its neighbors New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia — in enacting such legislation, which takes effect on January 24, 2026.
Similar to any other discrimination complaint, individuals who believe they have experienced illegal discrimination based on their hair will be able to report the incident to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, has led the effort to pass the Crown Act for six years. After McClinton was elected to lead the chamber in 2023, Rep. La’Tasha Mayes, D-Allegheny, took over sponsoring the legislation.
McClinton told the crowd gathered at Island Design Natural Hair Studio that her own mother was a bit skeptical of how the Crown Act could help people statewide.
“ Mom, if you are watching, this is going to help people by making sure that wherever you work or wherever you’re applying for a job, they can’t look at your hair and size you up — not based on your qualifications and all of the professional development you have and all of your education.”
“ They will not look at your hair and decide you can’t work here,” McClinton continued. “They will not look at your hair and decide you don’t belong in the C-Suite. They will not look at your hair and say, ‘You can’t be in the boardroom.’ ”
Shapiro said McClinton “persisted” against pushback during this year’s state budget impasse, to ensure the Crown Act was passed by the Republican-led Senate this year.
In 2022, more than 900 complaints were filed that dealt with racial discrimination involving hair texture and protective hairstyles, according to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission report that year.